Manager of Downtown Portland Restaurant Grabs Her Kayak in Order to Make Special Delivery to Ross Island on Willamette River.

July 07, 2014 // Franchising.com // Eugene, OR. – On June 17, nearly twenty volunteers cleaning up Ross Island on the Willamette River in Portland's South Town area received a shock upon seeing Café Yumm! Manager Judy Harrison happily disembark from her kayak announcing that lunch had arrived. Judy proceeded to flip her red kayak for use as a serving board and set up two Yumm! Casseroles™ and a platter of delicious chocolate dipped cookies in flavors of Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raison, and a wheat-free Ginger Spice, all made with organic flours.

The volunteers were participating in a clean-up sponsored by Willamette Riverkeeper. Marci, the volunteer crew organizer, had offered to pick up the catering the night before and take it to the island early in the morning along with all the volunteers and supplies. That meant the food would be cold by lunch time, and that didn't sit well with Judy. "I wanted the hard working volunteers to be rewarded with a freshly prepared, hot lunch. The best way to do that was to prepare the meal immediately before I paddled from the riverbank to the island," explained Judy.

Team Members at the SW Third & Morrison restaurant began preparing food at 11:00am for the noon meal. Each Yumm! Casserole was wrapped in enough reuseable plastic to protect them from the river water. Travelling in the stern of Judy's kayak, the food paddled by Judy made the crossing in 30 minutes. "The Yumm! Casseroles traveled well and looked wonderful. They were still warm too!," Judy exclaimed.

Judy is no stranger to navigating rivers. Last summer, she rafted all 240 miles of the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River.

Volunteer Marcie from the Riverkeepers said the Café Yumm! catering was "the Coolest catering we have ever experienced."

All thirteen Café Yumm! restaurants in Oregon and Washington donated a FREE catering to a different local non-profit during the months of April, May, and June. Team Members from the Café Yumm! in downtown Portland chose Willamette Riverkeeper because the restaurant is just three blocks from the Willamette River and Team Members often enjoy the waterfront park for running, biking, and strolling. "I have volunteered for a couple Willamette River cleanups in the past, and I am passionate about the quality of the river. As an avid kayaker and rafter, I am delighted that Café Yumm! supports river cleanup projects and water quality programs."

Springfield: Head Start of Lane County (http://www.hsolc.org/), the Sprout Program (http://www.sproutfoodhub.org/), and the Springfield Historical Museum (http://www.springfieldmuseum.com/)

Beaverton: The Beaverton STARS team (www.facebook.com/TheBeavertonSTARS), a Beaverton High School Teacher appreciation event, and the Signal to Noise student film festival (http://www3.beaverton.k12.or.us/media/signal-to-noise/index.html)

Salem: Hope Station Community Services (http://www.hopestationcsi.org/)

About Café Yumm!

Beau Delicious! International, LLC operates and franchises Café Yumm! restaurants, and manufactures uniquely flavored Yumm! Sauce™ in three flavors, as well as other healthy food products. Café Yumm! serves Soul satisfying… Deeply nourishing® food, including the famous Yumm! Bowl™ in addition to bentos, salads, soups, sandwiches, and more. Proprietary sauces add zest to make your meal memorable. Over 50% of Café Yumm! food is certified organic. Café Yumm! menu items include gluten-free, low salt, low sodium, vegan, vegetarian, zero trans-fats, and more. Café Yumm! launched the first nutrition calculator of any restaurant chain in the nation, available at www.cafeyumm.com/nutrition. Café Yumm! has received numerous food awards as well as for environmental values and stewardship, www.cafeyumm.com/content/awards. It also built the first solar powered electric vehicle charging station at a restaurant in the U.S.A. at its flagship location near the University of Oregon in Eugene. See stories at www.cafeyumm.com/news.

About Willamette Riverkeeper

Willamette Riverkeeper is a non-profit whose sole mission is to protect and restore the Willamette River. To learn more, visit http://willamette-riverkeeper.org

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